Inositol for Hair Loss - Does it Work?

Have you wondered if insoitol works for hair loss? Read on to find out.

Hair loss is a problem for millions of people all around the world, and many people who suffer from this problem will take extreme steps to find ways to reverse their hair loss and encourage healthy hair growth.

There are many natural ways to treat hair loss including hair loss herbs, Chinese hair loss herbs and more. In fact, some natural methods claim that using inositol can be extremely beneficial in the treatment of hair loss.

Inositol is a water soluble carbohydrate that is necessary for the body to have in order to produce the glucose that our bodies require.

In addition, it is important for the body, and it is mostly in combination with vitamin B complex. The body can absorb about 99 percent of inositol, but this is rather slow.

Inositol is a water soluble sugar-like carbohydrate. It exists in nine forms but the form, myo-inositol, is the most naturally occurring form. Inositol is considered half as sweet as sucrose.

It is synthesized in the body from glucose and sometimes considered part of the compounds making up Vitamin B complex. Most of the production of inositol in the body occurs in the kidney where a few grams are synthesized every day.

While inositol can be found in various plants, it is mostly in the form of a salt, phytate. Brans, beans and seeds are the known to contain inositol solely as phytate.

However, humans cannot break down this compound and so brans, beans and seeds cannot be depended on as a dietary source of inositol.

In fact, phytate chelates some essential minerals such as zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium. Some of these minerals are essential to hair growth and are used in treating hair loss. Therefore, plant source of inositol should not be depended on for hair loss therapies.

Some other plant sources of inositol are found in the form of lecithins. Lecithins are digestible in humans; they are easily absorb and provide appreciable amounts of the carbodydrate.

Inositol is known to be important to cell communication.

It specifically contributes to signal transduction through hormones such as insulin, overseeing membrane electric potential gates in cells and modulating the activity of nerves and certain neurotransmitters.

Other biochemical functions of inositol includes its ability to break down fat leading to lowering of cholesterol levels, mediation of gene expression and contribution to cell structure, cell shape and integrity.

As a result of inositol’s action on the nervous system particularly its ability to control the activity of serotonin, it is being studied for the treatment of several psychiatric conditions including panic disorder, unipolar and bipolar depression, agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Several studies have also found inositol to provide effective treatment for polycystic ovarian syndrome, amenorrhea, insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism.

It can be argued that inositol’s success in addressing hyperandrogenism is an indication of its usefulness in treating hair loss, and an evidence to corroborate the positive reports of people who have used in this way.

Hair loss is known to be especially encouraged by high levels of circulating androgens. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) synthesized from testosterone is one of the androgens known to trigger the dickkopf-1 gene to produce the protein DKK-1 which is known to cause papilla cell death.

Papilla cells are the cells responsible for the nourishment of hair follicles. With increased DKK-1 concentration, hair growth slows down and hair loss accelerates.

Therefore, since inositol addresses hyperandrogenism, it follows that it will reduce the body level of androgens, reduce the expression of dickkopf-1 gene and lower the activity of the DKK-1 protein. This chain of events will provide the positive outcome of increased hair growth.

Still another possible way inositol reverses hair loss is through its combination with choline.

Inositol is often combined with choline bitarate in hair loss remedies. When both compounds are combined, they form phospholipids. Phospholipids are known to be crucial to the development of healthy hair follicles.

Inositol’s prospects as an effective hair loss treatment are especially good when you consider that these two pathways demonstrate that it can treat hair loss from the two crucial points: increased growth rate of new hair and the strengthening of hair strands as they grow.

There are many things that inositol can do for our bodies, including to promote healthy hair growth. It keeps estrogen levels properly balanced, and it can help in the prevention of breast cancer by preventing breast lumps from forming.

A combination of inositol and choline produces lecithin, which is necessary in the prevention of high cholesterol.

Inositol has been proven effective when given to premature babies, and has been shown to reduce death and disability in premature infants.

There are compounds in inositol that have qualities that are necessary for the prevention and treatment of certain cancers.

Inositol can even be used to treat constipation. It has a stimulating effect, which allows for ease of bowel movements.

Inositol is good for the nervous system, and is being studied for treating depression, panic attacks, Alzheimer’s disease and other nervous conditions.

The body naturally produces inositol, but if you are not getting enough, there are other ways to make sure that you do.

There are many healthy and delicious foods that have this nutrient. These foods include certain organ meat, many vegetables, nuts, wheat germ, bananas, unrefined molasses, raisins, brown rice, Brewers yeast and oat flakes.

These are just a few of the foods you can eat that are loaded with inositol and other nutrients that will help to promote healthy hair growth.

When you do not have enough inositol, not only are you risking having unhealthy hair and even hair loss, you could also be at risk for developing such conditions as eczema, eye problems, high cholesterol and constipation.

To make this nutrient even more effective, it should be used in combination with choline and vitamin B complex.

It is important to remember that just like any other treatment for hair loss, you must use caution when taking inositol.

If you are going to use supplements, you need to know how much of the nutrient your body needs, and this is something that your physician can help you with.

If are not getting enough inositol, it could lead to various health issues, including anxiety and depression disorders, diabetic issues and hair loss. Too much inositol can irritate the stomach and lead to nausea and vomiting.

Those who have chronic renal failure and women who are pregnant should only take inositol under the supervision of a physician.

It has not been medically proven to work, but evidence does show that if you have hair loss, using inositol can help.